


In Need

by SaraJaye



Category: Fire Emblem: Soen no Kiseki/Akatsuki no Megami | Fire Emblem Path of Radiance/Radiant Dawn
Genre: Angst, Epidemics, F/F, Guilt, Hugs, Hurt/Comfort, Married Lethe/Jill, Mention of Death, Past Racism, Supportive Wife Lethe, tuberculosis
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-06-27
Updated: 2019-06-27
Packaged: 2020-05-20 21:23:03
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,481
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/19384912
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/SaraJaye/pseuds/SaraJaye
Summary: It's news of a terrifying outbreak that brings Jill back to her homeland for a visit.





	In Need

It was a bright and sunny day when Haar's letter arrived, and at the first sentence Jill's spirits came crashing down faster than a bird with a broken wing.

_It's bad, Jill. Hundreds of people sick and a dozen already dead. Queen Micaiah and King Pelleas are doing the best they can to help us, the healers are doing all they can, and I haven't slept in a week._

She would have laughed at that last part if she didn't feel like crying. Tuberculosis, the letter said, hundreds of people pale and coughing their guts up, covered in sores. Haar's own advisor was barely clinging to life at this point, and a third of the victims had been children. Micaiah had been sending Daein's best healers, but being pregnant with her and Pelleas's first child she was unable to perform her own miracles.

 _We need you. I know you're not a healer, but seeing your face again would lift everyone's spirits,_ the letter ended.

She showed Lethe the letter the moment she came back from her afternoon hunt, and Lethe was helping her pack a few bags within just seconds

"Are you sure? I know you're still not too comfortable around so many Beorc," Jill said. Lethe nodded firmly, almost stubbornly. 

"That doesn't matter. You're my wife, and Talrega's where you grew up even if you don't live there anymore," she said. "You need me as much as they need you." Jill's eyes filled with tears, and she hugged Lethe tightly.

"Thank you."

 

The trip took a few days, even on wyvernback. By the time they reached Talrega, it looked deserted; quarantine signs were plastered over every village, healers had set up camp in whatever empty dwellings they could find, and the snow was so thick even Lethe's shifted form shivered under her thick layer of fur.

Haar rode out to greet them, hurried them to the designated safe spot, and a man had hot chocolate and blankets ready for them in moments. Jill had never seen him show this much energy outside of important battles, and under different circumstances she would have been impressed.

"Sorry for the small space," Haar said. "But the manor's full to bursting with sick people and healers. It was all I could offer."

"It's okay," Jill said. "In your shoes, I would've done the same...and so would Father." Haar nodded, glancing off into the distance for a moment. Father's death still weighed so heavily on both of them, but she knew Haar had felt something deep for him, beyond mere loyalty.

"Anyway, thanks for coming, you two. I wouldn't blame you if you'd wanted to stay away from all this," he finally said. "Especially you, Lethe."

"Jill needs to be here for her people," Lethe said. "Besides...I can stand being around you, Haar. I mean, you're family." Haar snorted, sitting down in a beat-up old chair with a cup of what Jill guessed was coffee.

"Not everyone puts up with their spouse's family. Lady Almedha _just_ managed to warm up to the queen once she was expecting." He smiled a little, but it faded as he took a sip of his drink. "But anyway, it's getting worse. A kid died this morning, and her big brother's not gonna last much longer. He was on the mend, too."

"Their mother was the first one to die," the man said quietly. "And after this..."

"I'm sorry, Fritz," Haar said quietly. "I wish there was more we could've done." He turned to Jill. "The woman and those two kids are- _were_ Fritz's entire family. His oldest daughter was killed in the war a few years ago. She was barely older than you, Jill." Jill's eyes stung with tears.

"Fritz, I'm so sorry. If I'd known, I would have made sure we didn't-"

"It wasn't your fault. She survived going up against Crimea, and then Begnion took over and sent her to die against the Laguz Alliance," Fritz said. Lethe turned slightly pale, gripping the handle of her mug.

"We had no choice but to fight back. Daein was supposed to be-"

"Don't." Fritz shook his head. "We all did things we regret during those wars. It's just how it is."

"We're going to save your son," Jill said. "You don't deserve to lose the last of your family, we're going to save him. We have to." Not that she knew _how,_ even watching the healers at work she barely knew anything about such arts, much less how to bring a dying child back from the brink. _But he lost one child to the war, his wife and daughter are dead from the disease, and-_

"It's not your fault," Haar said sharply. "I know what you're thinking, Jill, and you had nothing to do with any of this." But she'd defected to the Laguz Alliance to help her friends, and then run off to Gallia with Lethe. Part of her couldn't help but wonder if this might not have happened had she stayed in Talrega just a little longer.

The four of them were quiet as they finished their drinks, and Fritz showed them to a spare room. Jill and Lethe changed for bed in silence, into the oversized pajamas Jill had packed. In Gallia, it was usually warm enough to sleep nude, but in Talrega doing so was a death sentence.

"There's nothing you could have done," Lethe said. "I may not be a heron, but I know _you._ "

"I _know,_ " Jill sighed, hugging her knees to her chest. "I know sometimes these things just happen, but so many people are _dead_ , Lethe. Children are dying, Fritz might lose the last of his family if the healers can't do anything, Lady Micaiah apparently blames herself but even if she _could_ help the healers you know she'd work herself sick, and-"

"Jill." Lethe sat down on the bed, pulling her as close as she could. "Haar didn't call you because he thought you had a miracle cure. You're here to try to lift people's spirits, and I bet it'll work. Maybe if they know you want them to live, you _can_ pull off some kind of miracle. Maybe. I mean, one time Lyre got sick and after I'd yelled at her to get better for a few days she _did._ " Jill laughed weakly, uncurling from her ball to snuggle into Lethe's arms.

"I don't think I should be yelling at anyone right now."

"But if you order them to get well they might." Lethe shrugged. "Look, Daein is big on military strategy and all, right? So maybe you need to talk to Haar and Fritz about some kind of game plan for supplies and medicine. It sounded kind of like they were at the end of their rope and didn't know what else to do."

"Aside from turning Talrega manor into a sickbay," Jill said. "But _I_ don't even know what to do right now. We can't ask other countries for help, especially Begnion. A lot of Daein's people still resent them even with the Senate out of the picture."

Lethe suddenly let go, and Jill saw her reach into one of their packs. Thinking back, she _had_ noticed one of them felt a bit heavy given that Lethe wasn't much for dragging personal effects from place to place, and Jill hadn't taken much herself. Plus, Ciel had been sniffing a bit during the ride and wyverns never got the sniffles.

Lethe set the bundle of herbs down on the bed, the scent stronger than Jill remembered it being.

"I don't know how they'll feel about Laguz cures, and we don't know if these will work on tuberculosis. But they're worth a try, I would say," Lethe said. "I know it's probably stupid of me not to mention it to Haar and Fritz, but..."

"We will tomorrow." Jill smiled tearfully, rubbing at her eyes. "Lethe, thank you, thank you so much..."

"Relations between Daein and the Laguz still need work, so I thought Gallia should make one of the first steps." She put the herbs aside, pulling Jill close again. "You did the same for me once. And I meant it when I said Haar is family now. If you're Gallian by marriage, then...I can consider a beorc I barely know my brother-in-law."

Ever since she'd received the letter, she hadn't been able to cry, whether she'd simply felt too numb for it or hadn't wanted to show such weakness in front of people who needed her. But as hope and relief flooded her, she let her tears flow as she buried her face in Lethe's shoulder.

They didn't know if the Gallia remedies would work, or if the people would easily accept them. But there was a possibility, a chance to help save them, and right now that was all Jill could ever ask for.


End file.
